It's What You Get
by Sincerely Yours- C.M.D
Summary: <html><head></head>The Ark's most infamous trouble-makers are about to face their greatest challenge yet... in the form of a naive, little scientist who might just charm their closed-off sparks. G1; Mech/Mech slash</html>
1. Chapter 1

**C.M.D: This was one of the very first TF fanfictions that I ever wrote. I'd probably say about the first, too, but it's hard to remember really. This was originally posted on this site but was pulled down, probably for the more graphic scene in the last chapter. Sad, but I'll be reposting it here all the same, just with some censoring. As with a number of fics, if you'd like to read more graphic works or whole, uncensored fics, please follow the links provided in my profile off-site. For now, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The Twins were known for a lot of things.<p>

Pranks.

Trouble.

Being the best front-liners.

Their crazy Jet-Judo tactics.

Even interfacing with various members of the Ark.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had a very prominent reputation that traveled with them no matter where they went. Most put up with it; others tried to stay the frag out of their way or keep their juvenile behaviour under control. None of the Autobots really knew the Twins. In reality, none of the 'bots actually knew each other. War had been swift and merciless, and 'bots from all life-styles were thrown together; the ones that managed to survive and find the will to fight back gathering under Optimus' leadership. It made sense than that the members of the Ark, though carrying a sort of camaraderie from the battles they had faced together, were still very distant with each other.

That didn't mean they weren't for interacting.

Oh, no, after confirming that they were indeed essentially stuck on Earth until such a time proven otherwise, the Autobots had finally decided to hazard the ship's rec room, spending long hours there while off-duty in the presence of their comrades.

It was how they first discovered the small, personality quirks of each other, usually unnoticeable during the constant fighting and struggling for survival. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's berth hopping was perhaps the very first thing the Ark learned about. After watching Bluestreak -sweet, innocent Bluestreak- march into the rec room one morning and throw a massive fit worthy of Starscream, the other mechs present were also kindly informed that the Twins had no care for a relationship and only wanted an interface here and there.

The news was passed on quickly, and Sunstreaker's and Sideswipe's future partners were then spared the horrible confrontation and spark-ache that Bluestreak had the misfortune of being subjected to.

Should have it been a surprise then that nobody thought of the lamborghinis as nothing more than promiscuous, uncaring 'bots incapable of actual love?

Certainly, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker didn't understand why everybody made a big deal about them sleeping around.

Acting like they were, it was not that shocking when the universe decided to turn around and kick the Twins for their debauchery.

* * *

><p>It started as a normal day... or, well, as normal as it could be with the rest of the Ark's crew about to meet some of the refuges that had made it all the way from Cybertron to Earth. The mechs that had slipped past Shockwave's incredible defense were going to help boost Optimus and his team. Well, that was the plan. At the very least, the intel they carried for a leader long thought dead, about a home world that they all had been cut off from for millions of stellar cycles, was enough to lift anyone's spirit and for Optimus to immediately extend his arms in welcome for their weary comrades.<p>

Reasonably so, the rec room was a buzz of activity that orn.

Sideswipe sat at a free table, drinking his morning ration of energon, lazily observing the gathered crowd in the room. He had only just gotten off patrol himself and was looking forward to a nice, long recharge after the initial greetings. He could feel his brother through their bond, still in their shared quarters even at this time, no doubt primping and preening himself. Honestly, the red lamborghini couldn't understand why Sunstreaker was so vain sometimes...

Taking another sip of his cube, Sideswipe found his optics drawn to one corner of the room. The first thing he saw was their crazy resident engineer Wheeljack -the sight of the mech was enough to make the red twin simply want to turn his attention away. Wheeljack was certainly not one of Sideswipe's "types". But as he was turning his helm to the side, the warrior suddenly took notice of the slightly slimmer, shorter frame beside Wheeljack.

A femme?

Femmes were a rare sight to see these days, and Sideswipe hadn't interfaced with one in what felt like forever. Was one of the new recruits, as they were being called, actually a femme? The lamborghini wasn't entirely sure, but he was content to simply watch the mysterious 'bot.

They were definitely dainty in a sense -they held themselves very reserved and carefully, though they appeared relaxed enough. When Wheeljack spoke or asked a question, the obsidian helm inclined slightly towards the engineer; servos gently touching the weird device Wheeljack pulled out from subspace. The "femme's" paint job was a shade similar to american rose -a much softer, muted variation of red in comparison to Sideswipe's colour- with cornflower blue adorning their arms and legs. Unfortunately, it wasn't the other's paint job that really had Sideswipe's attention...

It was that lovely coal-coloured aft that made the red twin practically steam as the "femme" bent over to retrieve the datapad they had just fumbled and dropped.

Sideswipe definitely liked the look of this one.

Optimus took that opportunity to stride into the room, Prowl, Jazz and a small handful of other 'bots at his heels. Immediately, all mechs present stood to attention for their leader, only seating themselves again when the semi waved for them to do so.

Sideswipe barely listened as the tall mech began his speech, trying to relocate the "femme" he had lost sight of when their superiors had entered the room; turning away from his search only for a klik, long enough to acknowledge Sunstreaker slipping into the chair beside him.

At this point, Optimus had reeled in his monologue and was now introducing the new members of the Ark. The red lamborghini decided to actually listen this time; figuring he could see the mystery 'bot again and learn their designation at the same time.

He was more than surprised when his "femme" stepped up, displaying that "she" was clearly a "he", and went by the designation Perceptor; a scientist of all-trades. Sideswipe ignored Sunstreaker's silent jibe across their bond, having already accessed that the red warrior had been all excited to persuade the "femme" into an interface session, and was now greatly disappointed that his momentary desire was in actuality a mech... and a _nerd_ mech at that. Sullen now, Sideswipe glared at the rest of the newcomers; hoping that they'd hurry up so he could go and get some recharge.

* * *

><p>Though he greatly disliked Perceptor, Sideswipe was hard pressed to say that he still didn't think of that gorgeous aft. After about several months of denial, he finally accepted that he was attracted to the scientist and set out to woo the microscope. He assumed that Perceptor was probably untouched, judging by the fact that the other mech was not heard of having any relationships with others and had not interfaced with any of the Autobots on the Ark since his arrival. The thought of the scientist's beautiful, tight, unpenetrated valve made the warrior's circuits spark more than they ever had before in his function.<p>

He was determined to be Perceptor's first.

Unfortunately, whether by conscious or unconscious will, Perceptor was not swayed by Sideswipe's "courting". In fact, he seemed quite oblivious to any of the red twin's actions. For a time, this deterred Sideswipe, but his lust returned with a vengeance and he swore to himself that he simply had to interface with the microscope or go mad with desire.

Sideswipe began to double his efforts.

* * *

><p>Many pranks pulled and cycles spent in the brig later, the warrior was still nowhere near to being even noticed by Perceptor, let alone convincing the microscope to interface with him. Sideswipe was at a lost what to do, and it was beginning to bother him that he couldn't move past the miserable little geek of an Autobot. Storming from the brig now that his punishment had been served for his latest bout of trouble, the red lamborghini marched down the near-silent halls of the Ark. It was early morning for Earth, sometime just before dawn, and the mechs off-duty were fast in recharge in their rooms. Sideswipe would have been among them if he hadn't been busy with his detention; now though, after stewing in his recollection of failed attempts at getting Perceptor's attention, the warrior didn't feel like resting.<p>

He wanted to walk, march, run, drive -anything to get away from his thoughts at that moment! As luck would have it, as he was rounding the bend (quite quickly one might add) he ended up colliding with another mech. There was a small cry of surprise and the tower of boxes before his face began to shiver and shake, as the 'bot holding them began to lose his balance with the impact. Sideswipe, hearing all the fragile glass within clink together dangerously, and knowing that he would probably get in trouble for breaking that much equipment, quickly reached out and grabbed the boxes; steadying them, and hence forth, steadying the swaying Autobot on the other side. Equilibrium maintained now, the boxes began to lower, until Perceptor's face was just visible over the top-most box.

"I can not express my gratitude enough," the scientist said softly, relief in his azure optics. "It would have been a great misfortune if I had dropped my load of equipment -and an even longer wait for them all to be re-ordered and replaced."

"Uh...yeah...," was all Sideswipe was able to articulate. His processor was beginning to freeze up, thoughts and actions taking a century's worth of time to correspond with the rest of his systems.

Perceptor continued to smile slightly, shifting the load in his arms. "I apologize for bumping into you -I was not paying attention to my surroundings, and at this late of an hour, I had foolishly assumed that there would be nobody else awake. For that, again I must thank you for your assistance, but now I must be getting back to my labs. Have a good night... Sideswipe, correct?"

The warrior could only nod his helm in answer. Perceptor inclined his own helm in acknowledgement before scurrying off down the hallway and deeper into the Ark.

It would be another two breems that Sideswipe, still standing where the scientist had left him, would realize that just now he had wasted a perfectly good opportunity to offer his help and walk Perceptor back to his labs; losing the chance he'd been looking for to start communications between him and the microscope.

...at least he could be satisfied in the knowledge that Perceptor knew his designation...

* * *

><p>This small interaction though was enough to encourage Sideswipe to continue.<p>

And finally, he got his chance about a week later.

The most recent battle with the Decepticons had taken a heavy toll on the Autobots. Ratchet found his servos suddenly full repairing almost twenty mechs at once, more than half with serious and mortal injuries. Wheeljack could be found easily enough in the medbay assisting the CMO, and surprisingly, so was Perceptor. Though not a medic himself, the scientist did know a thing or two about repairs and offered his assistance immediately once he heard the damage report of their latest fray. The three Autobots worked on the mechs most at risk of offlining, and then they split off: Wheeljack remaining as an attendee to Ratchet, while Perceptor was tasked with the job of repairing all minor injuries.

In a few short cycles, the medbay had been cleared out of all other 'bots, excluding those still in recovery and that would need to be monitored before they were given the clear. Sideswipe laid in a berth not too far away from Cliffjumper, nursing a newly replaced knee joint and sealed fuel lines in his abdomen that had been ruptured by Thundercracker's shots. Bored -because his twin refused to stay when he was okay- and virtually trapped -because Ratchet refused to let the red lamborghini leave until he was sure that the warrior wouldn't tear open his wounds so soon after repairs- Sideswipe was practically gleeful to see that Perceptor still hadn't left the medbay. The scientist had decided to stay and watch things while Ratchet quickly ran off to give his report to Optimus and grab some energon.

Sighing dramatically, Sideswipe managed to catch the microscope's attention and had a difficult time concealing his grin as Perceptor actually crossed the room to see if he was alright.

"Is everything okay, Sideswipe?," the scientist asked, concerned optics quickly darting about the lamborghini's frame. "Your injuries are not bothering you still, are they? I can administer an analgesia if you so require it."

"Ah, no...," the warrior pretended to grimace, shifting uncomfortably on the medical berth. "I mean, it's not necessary, just -ouch- a little pain. Nothing I can't handle."

"Are you certain? I do not wish for you to put further strain on yourself and risk agitating your wounds." Perceptor's worry was genuine, and the thought that he had all that to himself made Sideswipe smirk wickedly on the inside. Now if only he could coax another emotion from the scientist...

Perceptor moved closer of his own accord, and the warrior had such a difficult time masking the automatic roar of his engines as the microscope took up post right at the very side of his berth. Fortunately, he was able to cover it up to a spasm of pain when the other Autobot startled at the sound.

"I'm going to give you the analgesic in either case," the scientist announced, moving away quickly before returning. "It'll do no good if you should damage something further because of simple pride. You are important to the cause, and thus, you should make your function a top-priority!," Perceptor scolded lightly, dipping the needle tip between some plating and injecting the warrior with the pain-killer.

"And what about you?," Sideswipe asked innocently.

"Pardon?" Perceptor cocked his helm slightly to the side in confusion, lip components pursed gently and large optics openly puzzled at the lamborghini's question. The image was utterly adorable.

Sideswipe, smirking somewhat now, raised a servo; stroking the microscope's arm with slow, sensual sweeps of his fingers. "Am I important to you as well?," he elaborated, eager to see what the scientist's reaction would be.

Normally, there would be the flushing of cheekplates or even the sudden vibrancy of optics as lust and unspoken desires flashed through a 'bot. Neither showed themselves on Perceptor's face; in fact, his confusion just seemed to grow, though his face relaxed into a more contemplative expression. "Well, I suppose so. Every 'bot plays their part in the war, after all."

That wasn't really the answer he was looking for.

Sideswipe frowned and opened his mouth to say something more -probably reveal the intent of his actions since the microscope wasn't getting it- but had to click it shut again when Ratchet strode into the medbay. The CMO took one look at Perceptor at the lamborghini's bedside, wandering servo still resting on the other bot's forearm, before coming to an abrupt stop. It was silent for a couple kliks, before Ratchet crossed his arms over his chest, looking at both mechs blandly.

"What is going on here?," the medic asked in a neutral tone, that belied the anger beginning to burn behind his optics. Sideswipe was quick to withdraw his servo, grimacing for real this time as the CMO actually glared at him.

"Hmmm, nothing Ratchet," Perceptor replied good-naturedly. He didn't even seem to notice that Ratchet was furious! "Sideswipe had expressed discomfort because of his wounds, so I was just administering an analgesia to alleviate the pain."

"Is that so?," the medic said. He turned his glare away from the warrior momentarily to look at the microscope curiously. "Well, I thank you for watching the medbay for me while I ran to do some errands. You're free to go now, Perceptor."

"Of course. Have a good day, Ratchet." The scientist smiled kindly, and made his way to the door. He paused shortly in the doorway, looking over his shoulder at the sullen Sideswipe laid out on the medical berth. "I hope your injuries heal quickly, Sideswipe." And then he was out the door finally.

Sideswipe wanted to grin at the other Autobot's naive words of well-wishing, but Ratchet was still standing in the same place he had stopped at, glaring fiercely at the lamborghini. Shrinking slightly into the berth, the warrior glared back at the medic. "What?!," he snapped defensively.

"Try something like that again in my medbay, and I promise I'll show you what the meaning of pain is," Ratchet growled. Suddenly though, his shoulders relaxed, and the CMO was uncrossing his arms. "You're just lucky that Perceptor doesn't understand your intentions." Then the medic too was turning on his pede, crossing the medbay to his office just adjacent to the room.

Sideswipe shuttered his optics stupidly for a few moments, frowning as he contemplated Ratchet's words.

Beside him, Cliffjumper snorted on his berth, stirring somewhat in light recharge. "You're such an idiot... the lil' glitch mouse isn't even aware you're chasing him," the minibot mumbled mockingly. "...wasting your time trying to berth that nerd..."

"Mute it!," the warrior hissed, rolling over and turning away from the other 'bot.

He couldn't help to think though... was Perceptor really clueless to his advances?

* * *

><p>Sideswipe's second chance came during a string of storage duties.<p>

He was sorting through the dozens of dusty containers in one of the less used rooms; taking inventory and placing all important supplies closer to the door, for transfer to one of the more frequently used storage areas later on.

Or at least... that's what he was supposed to be doing.

The warrior in reality was taking his sweet-time rifling through the containers, keeping a mental list of everything that he came across should it hold some value for future pranks. It was all he could do really, knowing that Red Alert was keeping an optic on him from the security hub and would report to Prowl immediately should he catch Sideswipe pilfering any of the supplies. He was getting into the seventh, long, boring hour of his shift when his relief came walking through the door.

Sideswipe peered over the top of a stack of containers; smirk coming to his face as he saw just who his unexpected guest was.

Perceptor strode into the storage room, helm turning this way and that as he tried to place a container of slides he had left here some time ago. Normally it would have been an easy thing to spot the box, but Sideswipe's rearranging left the scientist confused. He had to double-check that he was in the right room, before he decided to delve deeper into the rows of containers and find his box.

The red lamborghini tip-toed behind stacks of boxes, keeping match with the microscope's steps; rounding his way up and behind the other Autobot. He was grinning when Perceptor startled as the warrior clasped his servos loosely on the smaller mech's shoulders.

"S-sideswipe!," the scientist squeaked in alarm.

"Heya, Percy. What's hanging?," Sideswipe purred. He let Perceptor whirl away from him, servos falling back down to his hips. His grin did not fade.

Calming down a little after his initial fright, the microscope returned Sideswipe's grin with his own small, innocent smile. "You startled me so. I did not expect anyone else to be here."

The warrior merely shrugged at the question in the scientist's tone. "I'm stuck here doing inventory, but I'm a little curious as to why you're here."

"Inventory...," Perceptor mused, looking about the room. "Yes, that explains why things seem to have shifted. Perhaps I could regal your services then? I am looking for the container housing my slide samples and mineral deposits."

Sideswipe kept his optics on the scientist even as he went through his mental list of the items he'd thus far documented. "Yeah, I might of seen such a box just a little while ago. Shall we go take a look?" The warrior held out his servo, but Perceptor did not take it; instead only smiling his gratitude at the larger mech's assistance.

His advance rebutted for the time being, Sideswipe raised his outstretched servo a little higher, looping it about Perceptor's shoulders and pulling the microscope along. He steered them both through the haphazard towers of crates, making sure that the scientist was practically pressed into his side as they walked. Perceptor didn't seem to notice their positions, and Sideswipe was too fixated on the delicious warmth against his side plating to care about the other's obliviousness at that moment.

Eventually, the warrior took notice, but he soothed his agitation by running simulations of the numerous fun activities that one could do in the storage room. He wondered if him interfacing the pretty little scientist would make Red Alert glitch. It was an amusing idea.

"You sure have done a lot," Perceptor noted, glancing at the opened containers and disturbed dust all around them. "I'm sure that Prowl will be quite pleased with your efforts."

"Hmmmm... oh, yeah, sure," Sideswipe mumbled distractedly. He didn't really care if Prowl was happy with him completing his punishment. "Hey, I think I saw your box of stuff just over here."

The warrior hummed happily as he steered the both of them to a darker corner of the room. He was smirking deviously now, not that Perceptor was aware. The microscope really was clueless. Well, Sideswipe would have to change that, and very soon.

"Here?," Perceptor asked.

"Oh, yeah. Should be some of those ones along the bottom," Sideswipe directed. He withdrew his arm and let the scientist step forward on his own, content to leer at that lovely, black aft. It was hard not to make a sound as Perceptor took his advice and bent over to inspect the crates along the floor.

"My, you were right! They were right here after all," the smaller Autobot exclaimed merrily.

Well, that wasn't what he had been expecting. Sneaking over to a stack of crates just near them, Sideswipe kicked at the bottom one, creating an avalanche effect. Before the heavy containers could fall on the unsuspecting scientist, the warrior threw himself before the crashing items, slamming into the smaller mech.

Perceptor cried out in alarm as he was suddenly shoved across his container of supplies; crates falling about his helm and bouncing along the storage room, and yet, the entire time he was sheltered from the raining boxes. Peering curiously over his shoulder, the microscope was shocked to find Sideswipe pressed flush against his plating.

"O-oh my... Are y-you alright, Sideswipe?" Ah, that was what he was looking for, the warrior grinned. A stutter and the starting burn of cheekplates were all good signs.

"Yes," the bigger mech husked, letting a servo trail spider-soft touches up and along the scientist's leg. "I'm quite alright. Actually, I feel exceptionally good right about now."

He pressed closer to Perceptor, hissing inaudibly as his heating codpiece ground lightly against the other's aft. "Mmmm, very good," Sideswipe continued, lust coating his words. "You're feeling good too, no? A little... hot... under here, perhaps?"

His servo reached the scientist's hip plating and he stroked his fingers along the seams to the microscope's codpiece. Perceptor gasped at the invasive touch, wriggling beneath the warrior's heavy form.

"S-sideswipe, y-you can get up now. Th-there's nothing more to protect me from," Perceptor stuttered, turning his helm away as the tremor in his vocalizer became more noticeable.

"And what if I wanted to stay right here?," Sideswipe whispered into the scientist's audio.

"I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-"

The sound of the door opening was enough to startle both mechs; in a burst of unprecedented strength, Perceptor managed to elbow the lamborghini off in one-fell swoop, clambering to his pedes and rushing for the door. "T-thank you for assisting me in locating my samples," the scientist called back over his shoulder. "I-i'll come and retrieve them later."

With a small nod to Inferno standing in the doorway, Perceptor was quick to disappear around the corner and off into the Ark. Nursing his sore stomach armour, Sideswipe got back up onto his pedes, glaring at the puzzled firetruck looking back and forth from the hallway and to the storage room.

"I...uh, well...," Inferno stuttered, shifting uncomfortably. "Red Alert said there was an emergency down in the storage."

"Of course he did," the warrior growled, kicking the fallen crates angrily before stepping out from behind the towers of containers. He stalked to the door, clanging shoulders with the firefighter as he stormed out of the room.

"Hey, wait, don'tcha have to clean all this mess up?," Inferno asked from behind him.

"As if I care!"

* * *

><p>The next little while presented itself as a challenge to Sideswipe. It seemed the higher ups had realized how intent the red lamborghini was of pursuing Perceptor and appeared to have taken it upon themselves to make sure that the troublesome twin did not succeed. Whether it was some misdirected paternal feelings towards the scientist, or a twisted version of revenge on Sideswipe, the mech found himself suddenly being interrupted at every turn.<p>

If Sideswipe tried to talk to Perceptor, a comm from Optimus or Prowl would cut their conversation short.

If Sideswipe attempted to touch the scientist, or steal his attention for even a second, Jazz or Inferno would come up and act like a bodyguard until the warrior had backed down.

If he was even in the same room with Perceptor, then Ratchet or Tracks would lead the microscope out of the immediate vicinity -the situation allowing, of course.

Sideswipe was certain too that Skyfire and Wheeljack were bringing energon to Perceptor in his lab so the scientist would be less prone to leave his sanctuary.

It was getting aggravating, and his bad mood was only further amplified by Sunstreaker's silent prodding as to why his twin refused to engage in the usual activities with him. But despite all these obstacles, Sideswipe was still determined to win Perceptor over.

Phase one of that plan: reinstate initial contact with the scientist.

When he was able to have some one-on-one time with Perceptor again, surprisingly it wasn't on his terms.

* * *

><p>The knock on his bedroom door was soft and almost inaudible, but to Sideswipe, who was staring up at his ceiling restlessly, the sound was like the fist of a Decepticon pounding against the wall. Trying to hold back the growl, the red lamborghini rose from his berth, sliding to the door silently. "What?!," he hissed, shoving the door open.<p>

The warrior's vocalizer shorted out not even a klik after, optics shutting down and rebooting in shock. "P-perceptor!?"

"I-i am sorry to be bothering you so late," the scientist apologized, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I realize you were probably in recharge, but you're the only one I could ask of this favour."

Sideswipe glanced at his chronometer, before shaking his helm. "No need to be sorry... Now," he grinned, getting over his surprise and turning on all his charm. "What can I do for you?"

Perceptor glanced up at him momentarily, cheekplates beginning to colour with boiled energon, before he dropped his optics to his pedes again. "I-i...," the microscope stuttered. He paused, cycled an intake, then lifted his chin; looking the warrior straight in the eye. "We have not been on speaking terms you and I, and though I think it should be something to rectify to increase team proficiency in the near future, I come for another reason tonight. The conditions are most optimal to collect some samples of Earth's rare vegetation, but the target is a great distance from the Ark and within clear range of a Decepticon attack. If I don't gather specimens tonight, then I fear I shall have to wait several more years before the organism will seed once again. Hence, why I require your assistance."

The red lamborghini was intrigued by the scientist's sudden confidence, his processor just lazily going over what Perceptor had said, while continuing to grin at the smaller mech. "And you've got permission for this late night stroll?," Sideswipe asked, genuinely curious. He couldn't see Prowl agreeing for the Autobot's top scientist to go wandering in distant, unprotected areas under the cover of darkness, just to pick some flowers.

"Yes," Perceptor replied, gaze still locked onto Sideswipe's. "Prowl has granted me base leave if I acquired the appropriate cover and means of transportation."

The warrior did his best to reign in his snort. _'Yeah, and he probably didn't take you to be serious about this, let alone actually drafting someone's help for such a trip.'_ Peeking over his shoulder, Sideswipe was glad to see Sunstreaker still in recharge. Silently he stepped out into the hall, shutting his berthroom door behind him. "So then... a little midnight drive, just you and me, huh?," Sideswipe grinned, leaning in close to Perceptor.

"A scientific expedition," the microscope corrected.

The lamborghini leered all the same. No matter what Perceptor might say, tonight was going to be just the two of them -no interfering "Good Samaritans" and the like. Sideswipe vowed to make this night memorable. He transformed into alt-mode, opening his driver's door in invitation to the scientist. "Let's split!"

Hesitating only momentary, Perceptor nodded his helm, transforming as well and nestling as a microscope in the warrior's front seat. The plush chair seemed to swallow him up, seat belt zipping out and wrapping about the other 'bot snugly. "Hold on tight," Sideswipe warned eagerly, engine revving loudly before the lamborghini was tearing down the Ark hallways; escaping with the scientist out into the star-lit night.

* * *

><p>This was boring.<p>

Sideswipe pouted, optics never leaving Perceptor's form with the exception of an occasional sideways glance when he saw the scientist look over in his direction. The frontliner was currently sitting on the sparsest patch of grass he could find; blaster still in subspace though he knew it would be wiser to have it out while they were out in the open. There was no telling when a Decepticon might attack... but honestly, Sideswipe had been hoping that him and the microscope would be doing some more distracting activities at this time.

Well, that plan had been shot down before he could even implement it.

Perceptor had transformed immediately the moment they arrived at the field, pulling various equipment out of his subspace and setting them neatly on the ground. Taking a set of tweezers and a container, the scientist set off for his specimen, stepping lightly through the luminescent field, trying not to disturb the strange yet beautiful phosphorous plants growing in this area. Finding himself a good spot, Perceptor bent down and began to work: analyzing the vegetation within its natural habitat and then taking samples.

No matter how much Sideswipe tried to approach this situation, he just couldn't draw the scientist's attention; and when he did manage to do that, it was only to be scolded that his careless tromping about was damaging the fragile organisms and disturbing the other's work. Feeling suddenly chagrined, the warrior had retreated a safe distance away before sitting down, staring sulkily at Perceptor's back.

Why was this such a challenge?!

Berthing Perceptor should have been easy -hell, Bluestreak, though holding a grudge still against the Twins, was easy enough to persuade into a romp if they so wished it. Why then was a timid, little scientist proving more difficult than a scorned gunner?

Sideswipe released an intake heavily, turning his helm away as the sound piqued Perceptor's attention. Waiting until the scientist was absorbed back into his work again, the frontliner returned to his sullen watching of the smaller Autobot.

You know... highlighted by the pale glow of the flowers, Perceptor looked...

The gunning of jet engines jolted Sideswipe from his thoughts, and cursing, the warrior lunged to his pedes; charging for the scientist, not even bothering to look to see where the Decepticon was heading from. "Look out!"

Null-ray fire tore up the grass around them as the lamborghini tackled Perceptor to the ground, a gasp of pain and surprise escaping from the microscope. "S-sideswipe," Perceptor whimpered, fear evident in the other's vocalizer though he attempted to hide it.

Growling angrily, the warrior shoved away from the smaller Autobot, whipping his blaster from subspace as he hurried to get to his pedes. "C'mon, come fight me like a real mech!," Sideswipe yelled into the night, turning about frequently; gun raised and optics shifting about for signs of the enemy.

Clouds had moved in, covering the moonlight and plunging the field into near darkness. Not even the phosphorescent plants could illuminate the area. From behind him, Sideswipe could hear Perceptor scrambling upright, servos brushing against the ground in near panic, attempting to gather his things. The urge to tell the microscope to _fragging stop moving_ was getting harder and harder to resist... The warrior was saved such an action though by the sudden peal of cruel laughter emitting from the shadows.

"Go for a late night flight, and lookie what I find... Two glitch mice ripe for the kill!," came Skywarp's voice.

"You're not killing anyone tonight, you wretched steel pigeon!," Sideswipe shot back, turning about slowly, trying to pinpoint where the annoying voice had come from. There was the roar of engines at the taunt, and then the seeker was shooting out from his cover and straight for the frontliner's left flank. Not expecting Skywarp to be that low to the ground, or even that close, Sideswipe had difficulty dodging the Decepticon's charge.

"I don't think so, judo-brat!," Skywarp growled, teleporting behind the lamborghini. Sideswipe whirled about quickly, firing off a shot the same time that the jet did. Dropping backwards, the warrior was able to avoid the majority of the assault, the laser only streaking a small burn across his shoulder. His earlier shot though hit Skywarp right in the arm before the seeker was able to teleport away.

"Sideswipe!," Perceptor cried in the darkness, hearing his companion's hiss of pain.

"Slagging... be quiet Perceptor!"

"B-but, I -ack!" Sideswipe cursed lowly, standing up again and lifting his blaster. The clouds moved on again and moonlight poured over the field, revealing what he had feared might happen. Perceptor stood shakily on his legs, optics bright with terror, servos to his throat where the larger servo of the seeker was clasped tight about his neck cables.

"Lookie what I found," Skywarp hissed, turning a twisted grin to Sideswipe. "I think the little fragger needs a remodel... maybe a nice, fat, burning hole to match the one you gave me." The jet raised his injured arm with gritted denta, pressing the barrel of his blaster tight against the scientist's back struts. Perceptor tried his best to swallow back his whimper at the cold metal touching his armour.

"Let him go...," Sideswipe growled, lifting his blaster to optic level.

"And why should I?," the seeker taunted. "Because of your silly Autobot mentality, or...," a pause to laugh condescendingly, "Because you're afraid to lose your favourite squeeze?"

"Hardly," the warrior snapped back. "It's only because I'd hate you to waste your time killing little petrorabbits who can't even fight back, while a better opponent stands before you. Or do you like the reputation of a mech who can only bully plants and sparklings?"

"Shut up!," Skywarp yelled, tightening his hold on Perceptor before tossing the Autobot to the side. "I could take you on any cycle, Autobutt! But just for that, say goodbye to your little spike-pillow!" The black and purple jet turned away from Sideswipe, pointing his gun at the trembling microscope on the ground. The moment's distraction was enough for the lamborghini to lunge forward, ramming into the seeker's side just as he pulled the trigger.

"Perceptor!" Sideswipe disentangled himself from Skywarp as quickly as he could, facing the fallen scientist. His spark pulsed erratically in his chest and it felt like ice water was pumping through his energon lines. He almost choked with relief when Perceptor jolted suddenly at being addressed, rolling over and facing the lamborghini.

"S-side...sw-swipe...," the microscope vented disjointedly. Coolant had pooled just under the other's optics and condensation slicked his forehead. In the ground just next to where his helm had been laying was a smoking hole -the spot that Skywarp's shot had landed at. "Sideswipe, l-look out!"

The warrior elbowed behind him, hitting Skywarp square in the abdominal plating, making the seeker gasp sharply in pain, dropping his blaster to the ground again. Not wasting a klik more, Sideswipe whirled on the seeker, grabbing a wing and kicking the Decepticon in the stomach armour. Skywarp bent over double, choking on his intakes, but the Autobot was hardly finished with him. Sideswipe pulled his fist back, driving it into the jet's cheekplate first, and then into the side of his helm, with enough force to make the metal dent.

Yelling sharply in pain, Skywarp lifted his arms and randomly fired away. The warrior was too angry to care about the Decepticon's wayward shots, but he had to re-evaluate his enthusiasm when Skywarp's nullrays centered in on his chest plates, firing a powerful blast. Sideswipe heard Perceptor shout again from behind him; Skywarp slipping out of his crushing hold and, with a great deal of pain, transforming and disappearing into the night sky. The threat gone now, the scientist scrambled for the lamborghini, lifting the fallen mech's helm into his lap.

"Sideswipe -Sideswipe, answer me! Please, oh _Primus_, please still be online!"

Sideswipe coughed, flecks of energon staining his lip components. "...Ah, Percy...," the warrior grinned weakly. "Y-you can be q-quite loud when ya want t-to be, huh...?"

"Sideswipe!," Perceptor sobbed in relief. "O-oh, I'm so sorry Sideswipe. I-i-i... I-i did not think t-there would be any actual danger. I d-did not mean for you to g-get hurt!"

The lamborghini waved off the microscope's words, attempting to sit up. He halted that action, hissing, as he felt something tear painfully inside of him. For a moment, his vision disappeared in a flash of blinding light, before the pixels reorientated themselves and he could see again. "No, Sideswipe! You mustn't move!"

"Y-yeah... bad idea...," the warrior grimaced, lowering himself back onto the ground. "I think I'll just lay here a bit longer," he added, resting his helm back in Perceptor's lap. The scientist brushed his helm and cheekplates worriedly.

"I-i... I've contacted R-ratchet and Prowl. A retrieval squad should be a-arriving at our coordinates soon," the still trembling mech informed, his servos never stopping in their anxious touching.

"Ah, geez," Sideswipe chuckled lowly, hissing again when the action ground against the broken components within him; pressing a little closer to the warm thighs framing his face, "I bet the Hatchet will be glad to see me. I think I've ruptured the same fuel lines as last time..."

"Y-you should not make jokes like that. Now, please, d-don't talk so much. You must conserve energy until the others can get here," Perceptor said. The warrior shuttered his optics, looking up into the microscope's face with shock. He noticed the coolant making silent tracks down the other's cheek seams... he had never seen the other cry before...

"...Percy, don't cry. Please. I'm going to be just fine. 'Sides... you look better when you're smiling."

A small, watery chuckle came from the scientist. "O-okay. Sorry...," a shaking servo wiped quickly at his optics. "I-i'm sorry again, Sideswipe. I-i didn't even thank you yet for c-coming all this way out here with me... a-and now I know that simple gratitude isn't enough after what h-happened tonight."

The lamborghini shrugged as best as he could. "Hey, didn't I say something about smiling being better suited for you?," he pointed out, trying to get the other 'bot to cheer up.

Another small laugh from Perceptor. "Yes... yes you did," he said, and then a tiny, beautiful smile came to the microscope's lip components; shining down on the injured mech laying before him.

And that's when it hit him.

Two very important things suddenly clicking in the lamborghini's processor.

One, that Sunstreaker had been comming him for the last half hour with no success; no doubt roused from recharge by the sensation of his twin in pain through the bond, and ready to tear his careless brother apart for his disappearing act.

And two...

Somehow, someway, Sideswipe had _fallen in love with Perceptor._


	2. Chapter 2

Sideswipe was in love.

He didn't know how it had happened, but his brother was helm over exhaust pipe for the geeky little scientist. It had started with his twin wanting to berth Perceptor -Sunstreaker was sympathetic to that. Perceptor, though a mech with a bland, silly alt-mode, was still nicely shaped and looked like he would be a good lay.

Sunstreaker didn't care himself. He preferred 'bots better looking, highly maintained and who didn't chatter that much -whether about themselves or particle physics. But if he could interface with Tracks and enjoy it well enough, then he figured he could do the same with Perceptor. At the very least, Sideswipe's lust for the microscope would fuel his own charge. But after a while, watching his brother go around chasing the nerdy Autobot, pulling prank after stupid prank -just to get Perceptor's fragging attention!- was beginning to infuriate the yellow lamborghini.

Why, he thought constantly, why go through all this trouble for a mech who wasn't even aware that he was being pursued?

Well, Sunstreaker just put it to the back of his processor in the beginning. Sideswipe was still interfacing with him and dragging his brightly-painted twin for fun, care-free pranks. But then, about a few months in, Sideswipe stopped asking for Sunstreaker's help with his mischief. Oh, he was still causing trouble... the Ark was in chaos with the amount of pranks the red warrior was doing, and Red Alert was close to a full systems meltdown. A lot of questions had arisen during Sideswipe's "reign of terror", as it was being called, about the motive behind the insane string of pranks.

Especially about Sunstreaker's sudden exclusion.

That was something the yellow mech wanted to know about as well.

He thought it might have just been a phase, because Sideswipe was known to take some alone time every few vorns, but the weeks turned into decacycles and his twin still did not include him in his schemes. Eventually, Sideswipe begin to participate less in their interface sessions, even refusing flat-out a romp with a very charged Bluestreak. Sunstreaker thought he might have to drag the red lamborghini in for a check-up with Ratchet; he was that concerned by his twin's sudden celibacy. Yet that didn't seem right either, because he could still feel the echo of lust passing over their bond every time Perceptor was nearby.

His concern for Sideswipe's interfacing habits was quickly forgotten the morning he stirred from recharge and realized that he had been blocked from the bond.

Not completely shut out... but walls had been erected unknowingly, greatly filtering or completely censoring the messages being passed back and forth. No matter how hard Sunstreaker tried to beat them down, the walls stayed in place, further separating him from his twin. Not like the other mech even realized... Sideswipe must have been crueler or more idiotic then he had thought for him to appear completely oblivious to their floundering connection. The yellow frontliner wanted to scream and shout and storm about this entire predicament, and indeed he had let some of his growing anger out in the Ark hallways; spending time in the brig for his unnecessary and reckless endangerment of others.

Despite all this though, the hurricane of raw, furious feelings continued to twist within the warrior; made sharper and stronger by the bitter stake of confusion and betrayal digging into his spark. Sunstreaker doubted he could ever make it go away, or forgive Sideswipe for everything that had happened.

* * *

><p>That changed the moment he was yanked out of recharge, the burn of laser fire searing his shoulder. His angry optics had scoped the berthroom, blaster being pulled so fast out of subspace that the motion was but a blur only a nanoklik long. There was no enemy to be found... and no twin either. Sunstreaker had raced from his quarters, right into the control room with Teletraan-1. Jazz, on duty, was surprised to see the yellow mech so late at night and voiced his curiosity. The frontliner ignored him, mashing buttons on the terminal in his fervour to locate Sideswipe.<p>

He was just closing in on his brother's coordinates when he shouted out in pain, crumpling against Telatraan-1. The next little bit was fuzzy to the lamborghini's memory banks... He remembered Jazz jumping in surprise at his cry, the saboteur racing forward to check on the larger 'bot; one servo to his commlink as he rapidly spoke to Prowl on the other line. Sunstreaker allowed himself to be moved to the floor, the cool metal soothing the throbbing ache underneath his chassis. Ratchet was the first to come to the control room, followed closely by Prowl.

"He's uninjured," Ratchet grimaced, after running his scans.

"Then that means...," Jazz started.

"Sunstreaker, where is Sideswipe?," Prowl demanded, looking down on the lamborghini. Some might of thought that the Datsun's gaze was cold and uncaring, and though the frontliner would agree with some of them, he knew under that harsh look, the SIC was running events through his highly-advanced logistics system. "You don't know, do you?," Prowl said, when Sunstreaker refused to answer after a moment.

Prowl lifted a servo to his commlink. "Red Alert, I need you to review the video feed from earlier this evening. I need to locate Sideswipe now... he's been injured." There was a moment of silence as the security director responded to the SIC. Then Prowl did something that any of the mechs present thought they would never see: the officer _swore_.

"Prowler... what's up?," Jazz inquired nervously.

Ratchet helped Sunstreaker to his pedes, administering a tiny dosage of analgesic to combat the echoing pain the warrior was still feeling. "It's Sideswipe, isn't it?"

"_And_ Perceptor," Prowl added, lifting a servo and pinching the bridge of his olfactory sensor in exasperation.

"Now why'd 'r lil' Percy be head'n 'ot wit' a mech like 'Sides?," Jazz asked, completely baffled at this point.

"Because I would have suggested giving him access of leave should he find a suitable 'bot to accompany with him for a late night science expedition," Prowl replied, servo still at his face. Venting an intake, the Datsun looked at all mechs present. "I understand your surprise, but I had not accounted on him actually taking my word, or for him to be serious in his request. It was a ludicrous idea, after all! But that matters little now... we need to gather together a team and send out a search party for them. I'll rouse Optimus in the meantime and inform him of the situation. Jazz, I need you to-"

The SIC was cut off when there was the ping over the communal frequency. Jazz was the first to reach for it, pressing a servo tightly against his audio receptor. "Jazz here," he said.

"J-jazz!," Perceptor's voice cried out over the line. The rest was almost indistinguishable through the scientist's frantic, garbled sobs but the download of the coordinates came through clear and Prowl was tapping into the frequency immediately after.

"Don't worry, Perceptor. A team will be out there shortly to collect you and Sideswipe. Just stay out of sight and keep us posted of the situation." Prowl cut the line, and turned to the others. "Jazz, Ratchet-"

"Already on it," the CMO said. "I'm going to go grab a couple more things from medbay and then I'm ready to get going."

"I'll go wake Iron'ide and Blast'r, they can help us 'ot," Jazz offered. Waiting for Prowl's nod, the saboteur ran off; Ratchet also leaving to go get his supplies.

"I'm coming," Sunstreaker said, stepping up to Prowl until he was face-to-face with the Datsun. Frowning, the officer leaned backwards slightly as the warrior continued to loom over him.

"You must follow orders. Understood?" Prowl crossed his arms over his chassis, waiting for the lamborghini's next move.

With a growl, the yellow mech spun away, skulking for the door. "Sunstreaker..."

"I'll comply. Just move your afts," Sunstreaker hissed, not even bothering to look back over his shoulder as he stormed from the command center. Prowl waited a couple more astroseconds before he too moved, heading immediately for their leader's quarters.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker was glad to have Sideswipe back all in one piece, but that did not make him a happy mech all the same. Finding his brother's helm laying in Perceptor's lap; startled realization flaring brightly over their bond, shadowed by pulses of love, was not a sight he would have ever wanted to walk into. With their connection re-established because of this near-fatal encounter, the temperamental warrior ranted and raved at his twin as he was being fixed, all the while keeping his growing anger towards Perceptor buried. If Sideswipe knew how Sunstreaker felt about the scientist, then he would fight with the other lamborghini on every front. To make sure that Perceptor could no longer threaten his way of life, the yellow mech would need secrecy. Otherwise he'd never be able to get the microscope to disappear.<p>

Sunstreaker set out to first discover why Sideswipe was so infatuated with Perceptor, and then destroy those attributes hypnotizing his brother.

The first stop: Perceptor's looks.

* * *

><p>Perceptor was ordinary. There was no other way to put it really. His alt-mode of a microscope was a boring and mundane thing to look at, made even more ridiculous because it was immobile and thus proved useless on the battlefield. It didn't even have a spot to mount a gun to! Sunstreaker had heard rumours that the scientist's lens could be altered to project a high-velocity laser beam from it, but considering he had never seen such a thing, the warrior wasn't going to believe it. In bi-pedal mode, Perceptor did not pose much more of a temptation. He was short -taller than the mini bots, but smaller than the rest of the crew- with a pale, almost dusty like paintjob. The scientist had no special characteristics, upgrades or any special defining features aside from what was primary to his function. He did not even have any of the sleek lines that the faster Autobots boasted, and everything about Perceptor's very attitude made the mech more like a backdrop than a person. Other than his pretty aft, which was enough to draw a few optics here and there, the red Autobot didn't have much going for him.<p>

So why was Sideswipe so hooked up on how "adorable" the scientist was?

Sunstreaker sat sitting in the rec room, glaring across the way to the clueless mech sitting at one of the tables in the corner. Perceptor had a cube of energon placed before him, mostly untouched because as soon as the scientist had sat down he had been drawn back into his datapad and the work displayed on its screen. Even though everyone else was shifting about, the very aura of the room tense because of the yellow warrior fuming within its vicinity, Perceptor was completely unaffected and seemed to be quite merry in fact.

Well that just made Sunstreaker angrier.

The lamborghini rose to his pedes and was stomping across the rec room not a nanoklik later. Not a single mech dared to stop the warrior, though several Autobots tensed further; their optics locked on Sunstreaker warily as he approached Perceptor. The microscope was still absorbed in his work, unaware of the 'bot standing before him. Sunstreaker, surprisingly, decided to patiently wait for the smaller mech to notice him. A couple breems passed, and still the scientist sat hunched over his datapad, writing down notes and equations as he muttered to himself quietly. With an ugly snarl, the warrior slammed his fist into the table; datapad and energon cube trembling fiercely with the assault, a crack resounding loudly in the now-silent rec room.

"Oh my!," Perceptor cried, pulling back from the quaking table. He lifted his helm and was shocked to see Sunstreaker standing just across from him. "Sunstreaker? I'm sorry, did you need my attention?"

"Yes!," the yellow mech wanted to shout. "What have you done to Sideswipe, you little glitch!"

But Sunstreaker did not say these things, managing instead to rein in his fury; getting a firm grasp on his rapidly weakening self-control. "No...," he growled back after a moment.

"I... see...," the scientist replied slowly. There was confusion in those big, blue optics and the lamborghini struggled to come up with an excuse as to why he was here. Eventually he just said the first thing that came to mind.

"Optimus wants to see you."

"Oh, yes of course!," Perceptor exclaimed, suddenly relaxing. "I'll just go and see him right now then. Strange that he didn't just comm me..." The microscope got to his pedes, grabbing his energon cube and taking another sip from it before subspacing it entirely; finally grabbing his datapad and cradling it against his chassis.

"Thank you so much for informing me, Sunstreaker. I hope it wasn't any trouble to you." Perceptor smiled and his optics half-shuttered with the action. "Have a good day." And without further ado, the scientist left the rec room.

Sunstreaker stood there idling for just a klik more, before he too left; wandering off down the Ark's hallways as he continued to fume to himself. He learned later that Optimus really had needed to see Perceptor and was surprised when the small mech arrived at his office before he had a chance to comm him.

_Slag._

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker took up stalking Perceptor around the base, trying to make things difficult for the scientist. He set up his own set of pranks and traps -since Sideswipe was still so goo-goo optics for Perceptor, there had been less trouble from the red lamborghini- and enjoyed every single cry of alarm or surprise that the microscope made when he tripped the traps. Granted, the geeky mech wasn't always the first to come across Sunstreaker's set-ups... but the warrior wasn't going to worry about those few, unaccounted for victims.<p>

The only downside of this little habit was that the lamborghini was also witness to the other expressions that came to Perceptor's face.

Excitement, joy, fear, exasperation, amusement, triumph, exhaustion, annoyance, confusion, seriousness...

They all just looped and looped in Sunstreaker's processor; the different range of emotion the scientist was capable of and yet... there was never any actual anger in Perceptor's optics, nor defeat or despair. All of this remained with the warrior, though he never really took notice of its constant presence until one day he looked down at the drawing pad in his servos and was stunned to find a perfect image of the smaller mech smiling up at him.

He remembered that smile... It was just after Perceptor had finished another one of his lengthy projects; the amount of exhaustion and aching joints not even a consideration as the scientist leaned away from the work table, smiling that little smile of ecstatic accomplishment that was just so...

Sunstreaker threw the pad away from him in a sudden bout of rage; jumping to his pedes and storming from his room.

* * *

><p>Following Perceptor around wasn't helping. In fact, it was just making things worse. And seeing his brother fluttering about the microscope every chance he got only made the other warrior angrier. It became too much one day, and he ran off to locate Tracks for a quick, rough interface, but the corvette refused to engage with Sunstreaker and promptly told the lamborghini -in several variations- to <em>frag off<em>. Jealous, enraged and now completely rejected, the yellow mech had stormed back off to his quarters and tore the room apart. There was no feeling in Sunstreaker as he pounded at the walls, kicked at the berths; screamed, yelled, bellowed, tore, ripped, cracked and smashed everything that came near his servos. At the end of it all, not a single thing remained intact.

Sunstreaker vented heavily, looking dully at the shattered fragments of Sideswipe's favourite games shimmering among the wreckage on the floor; covered in flecks of colours from when the lamborghini had stomped on his paint set.

Silently, the warrior left the room, shutting the door behind him before heading out for a long drive.

He knew Sideswipe must have been angry at him for breaking his things as well that night, but his twin did not say anything. In fact, the red warrior only seemed to mope about until miraculously, all of his games had been replaced with a few new ones thrown in as well. Sunstreaker was perplexed at that, until the very reason stood before him a week later.

* * *

><p>The lamborghini glared down at the smaller mech in front of him, lip components fixed into a scowl deep enough to make Megatron envious. Suddenly anxious, Perceptor shuffled a little in place, holding a box to his chestplates tightly. "I-i-i... I am terribly s-sorry to di-disturb you," the scientist stuttered, lowering his helm self-consciously. "I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-"<p>

"What do you want?," Sunstreaker hissed. He wasn't going to stand here and listen to the other Autobot stumble on his words all day. He had better things to do.

"Here," Perceptor squeaked, thrusting out his arms suddenly.

The box bumped against his forearm, and the warrior unconsciously grabbed it to ensure that it didn't scuff his paint. Relieved to see Sunstreaker take the gift, Perceptor was quick to relax some. "S-sideswipe mentioned... well, I-i-i hope you like it in either case," the microscope rambled quickly, lifting his helm for an astrosecond to look at the lamborghini before dropping his gaze again.

"G-goodbye then!" Perceptor turned about and practically ran down the hall and away from the stupefied mech.

Sideswipe had mentioned, what? Sunstreaker thought, slowly trying to process the events which had just passed. Frowning again, the lamborghini turned and entered back into his quarters. Everything furniture wise had been fixed and replaced by the time he had returned to the Ark the night he had trashed it, almost as if his tantrum had never happened; yet the sparseness of the room where objects had once laid echoed loudly to Sunstreaker. He never thought he would be so angry with himself...

Putting it to the back of his processor, the warrior marched across the room to his berth, sitting down on its edge. He stared at the box in his servos for a breem, not doing anything. A voice told him to toss it away without opening it, to spite the mech that dared to think he could associate with him just because he stole his brother. But a smaller voice whispered that he should open it and see what was inside. That weak mumble proved stronger than its partner, and shortly after, Sunstreaker was opening the box. Again, he felt himself stunned into idle.

After a klik, a servo reached inside and pulled out the little card that sat on top of the items within. The lamborghini brought it up to optic-level and read it.

It said:

_Sunstreaker, I am sorry to hear that all of your supplies were damaged in the accident. Such an unexpected and special talent should be fostered and shared. I hope that these can be of use to you._

_-Perceptor_

Sunstreaker looked from the note to the items inside the box. Drawing pads, canvas, paints, brushes, pencils, charcoals, rulers, erasers, inks and pens... Almost everything he had used before and then some.

And it was all for him.

Sunstreaker offlined his optics, sighing softly.

* * *

><p>Things were odd now.<p>

The lamborghini could still feel his hatred bubbling underneath the surface, but it was buried mostly beneath a swell of curiosity and undefinable need. His stalking of Perceptor became more about the intent to study the scientist, rather than to punish him, as well as a means to contemplate the best way to approach the other mech. Usually his attempts to face Perceptor ended up the with the warrior becoming suddenly blank in the processor before stuttering some half-baked excuse and taking off in the opposite direction.

Truly, he didn't understand it himself, and though Sunstreaker had an inkling of what was going on -he was after all not as slow as his twin- he could still think of no way to stop it. This was wrong, wasn't it? He shouldn't have felt so conflicted like this! He should be angry at the mech that was taking Sideswipe away from him, not be falling for the same trap as his brother had.

But those feelings weren't coming; the rage and jealousy that he had placed so much faith on beforehand leaving him hanging over a boiling pit of greater uncertainty and anxiety. Sunstreaker didn't really like that feeling, not at all. Yet, he didn't stop studying the scientist; making further notes and sketches in his new drawing pads.

The lamborghini only hoped that this mess didn't escalate any more.

But he wasn't that surprised when next the harrowing thought rose up, talking about returning Perceptor's kindness.

* * *

><p>He supposed he should have expected this to happen. After all, it was inevitable really. Sideswipe came stomping into the room, palming the door shut angrily before he rounded on his twin. Sunstreaker tried to feign ignorance, but his angry glare at the paper in servos was clue enough that he was reading his brother's thoughts through the bond. "How dare you," Sideswipe hissed, approaching the other mech.<p>

Sunstreaker refused to look at him, and the red lamborghini was forced to slap the drawing pad away. That caught his twin's attention, furious optics rising to meet his own.

"You're such a fragger!," Sideswipe continued, fists clenching at his sides. "You start off by making me look stupid in front of everybody and-"

"You mean Perceptor," Sunstreaker cut in with a growl. "You're not upset that I made you look stupid in front of everybody... you're angry because _Perceptor_ saw you for the fool that you are!"

Sideswipe grit his denta tightly, looming closer to his brother. "Don't you dare patronize me! I saw it- I did! What, never thought I'd be able to get into Perceptor's labs too? And what was that, huh?! Leaving a painting -a gift- to a 'bot you think of nothing more than a nerd? That's under-handed, Sunny!"

"Don't call me that!," the yellow mech replied, lunging forward a bit. Sideswipe wisely pulled back some, but he kept his servos tightly clenched and ready at his sides still. "And my actions are not under-handed."

"They are too!," the other lamborghini protested. "You know that I like him; that's why you're being such a glitch about this."

Sunstreaker got to his pedes this time, fists clenched at his sides as well. "I am not being-"

"You are!," Sideswipe cut in. "_Slagging_... I liked him first; you can't have him Sunstreaker!"

"I don't want that little geek!," Sunstreaker shouted.

"You do too! Don't lie! I've seen you looking at him, and your drawing pads are all full of sketches of him but you can't have him," Sideswipe roared back. "You always take everything that I want; I always give you all of my attention. Why can't things be different for a change? Why can't I finally get something, just for myself?!"

"He doesn't deserve you...," the bright warrior snarled lowly.

"Listen to yourself, " the red mech spat. "You sound so fragging stupid! I care about Perceptor -I don't care if you think he's stupid, or ugly, or, or unworthy- I like him, so why can't you stop trying to sabotage my chances with him?!"

"I won't stop! You can't make me."

"Wanna bet? You're my twin, Sunstreaker, and I love ya... but I won't stand for you doing this to me. I've had enough of your selfishness; I won't deal with it anymore!"

Sunstreaker growled. "There's nothing you can do to stop me... I'm better than you. He doesn't deserve you, and you don't deserve him either!"

"Then who does, huh?!," Sideswipe yelled. "Who is 'worthy' of me?"

"Only I am!," the other mech yelled back. "Frag Perceptor if you want, but he can't have you! Not your spark; your spark is mine alone! You belong to me Sideswipe, and only me! I won't lose you to him!"

The red warrior could only shutter his optics in disbelief. "...You're _glitched_," he replied lowly, glaring at his twin. "Are you that fragged in the processor that you can't even decide whether you actually like Perceptor or are just jealous of him? And yours, Sunny? _Yours?_ I'm not fragging _'yours'_. I'm not something you can own; _Primus_, I'm not a slagging toy you keep!"

Sunstreaker did not say anything.

Sideswipe snorted in disgust. "Stay the pit away from Perceptor," he warned. "I don't want him to be confused because of your fragging, twisted feelings."

"...Don't you dare mock my feelings," the yellow lamborghini hissed. He swung out and punched his brother. "Nothing about me is wrong! Nothing! Every single one is real; don't you dare look down on my feelings!"

"N-nothing's wrong with you?!," Sideswipe shouted, blocking his twin's rain of punches. He retreated some and then lunged forward, locking servos with Sunstreaker. "Then what's all this, huh? Why are you so fragging intent on beating my processor in?! Do you think that will help!?"

The red frontliner kicked the bright warrior, triumphant over the groan he drew from the other mech for a moment, before he was kneed in the stomach. "I won't lose!," Sunstreaker bellowed, throwing more weight into their locked servos, trying to unbalance his twin. "Not you, not Perceptor -not to either of you, and not to each other too!"

The next couple breems went by in a flurry of fists and kicks; punches thrown, pedes digging into sides and legs, throwing, tossing and pinning the other against every sharp, hard surface within the room. The screaming and yelling continued, though by then it was unintelligible bellowing. But that was only the surface of the matter. Unseen to the viewing eye, another, more volatile battle was happening -in the realm of twin bonds. Back and forth, the two lamborghinis shot off projectiles of rage, attempting to cripple the other spark. It only forced the bridge of their bond open further; a flood of emotions breaking forth from their dams and rushing into the other receptacle, so much that it was overwhelming and Swideswipe and Sunstreaker were jolted away from each other at the onslaught. Venting heavily, they crumpled to the floor, lifting pain-filled optics to stare at the other from across the room.

"S-so... th-that's it, huh?," the red warrior panted, grasping his side plating as surges of electricity crackled along his sensory net still. The vicious widening of their bond left a strange tingling deep within his spark; it echoed dully as the incoming information from Sunstreaker slowed down almost to a trickle.

"..." The yellow lamborghini did not say anything, knowing that he didn't need to voice any of his thoughts. Sideswipe knew them all now, after all. Knew his confusion and his fears; his new, developing emotions that he found extremely strange but oddly hopeful...

"Y-you really didn't lie," Sideswipe murmured, shuttering his optics somewhat.

"I didn't," Sunstreaker agreed.

"I... I'm sorry," his red twin apologized.

The other warrior nodded his helm in acknowledgement.

Silence for a couple kliks.

"So... what do we do now?"

"Aside from going to Ratchet and having these dents fixed, and getting myself a new paintjob?," Sunstreaker replied.

Sideswipe chuckled a little. "He's going to be so angry with us... But, no, in all seriousness, what do we do now? I mean, we both like Perceptor and, well..."

He wasn't entirely sure why the idea came to mind, but in his confused, exhausted state it wasn't so odd for his processor to be making with the strange epiphanies randomly. And though he was loathe to say it out loud, simply because of how ridiculous it was, Sunstreaker couldn't help but to think as well how it was the most logical solution to their current predicament. "Both of us," he started vaguely, lifting his helm and staring his twin straight in his optics.

"Huh? Both of us, what now?"

"You and I -the both of us- bond with Perceptor. We'd share him, like in the past, but he'd be ours alone."

"...You really are serious about him," the red warrior mumbled, somewhat amused. "I never once thought of bonding with him, though the idea is nice."

Sunstreaker glared at his brother's evasive tactics. "Well, I'll admit it's... odd," Sideswipe sighed, "But I suppose if the gestalts can have multiple bonds, then so can we. I certainly am not about to let someone else have him in either case."

"Then we're agreed," the yellow mech said, rising to his pedes slowly. Sideswipe had done a number on him, and he knew he had done the same with the other lamborghini. Sideswipe followed Sunstreaker's action, groaning a little as he unsettled a displaced cog inside his chassis.

"Ratchet is soooooooo gonna hammer our afts for this."

"Your fault," Sunstreaker replied sullenly.

"Yeah, I suppose so," the red mech shrugged. He walked over, slinging an arm about his twin's shoulders. "Well, now that we're agreed that we both like Perceptor and are gonna share him... how 'bout we discuss our lil' cutie?"

The yellow lamborghini smirked a little, leading the both of them to the door. "Absolutely."

* * *

><p>There had been a shift in the universe.<p>

Everybody aboard the Ark felt it, and it made their sensory nets crackle uncertainly. They weren't entirely sure what it was, but it presented itself as two smirking lamborghinis, resting at ease for the first time in a while in the rec room. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker weren't saying anything verbally, but it could not be mistaken that they were scheming across the bond. They had their plotting smiles on, after all. It was a greatly disconcerting sight because nobody could be sure what trouble they would cause this time, and who their victim -or victims- might be.

Prowl, coming into the rec room on his occasional drop-in for energon, noticed the odd looks being passed all around the room and quickly centered in on the source. Frowning, the Datsun immediately altered his course so that he was soon standing before the Twins, arms crossed over his chassis testily. "I suggest that you stop your plotting," the officer warned. "I have a list of punishments lined up, just waiting for you two to take one step out of line."

"Ah, Prowler," Sideswipe grinned, loving the way the SIC's doorwings twitched at his illicit use of Jazz's nickname. "We're not causing any trouble."

"Not yet," Prowl replied. "But everyone here is aware that in those processors of yours, the both of you are coming up with more inventive ways to create havoc and disruption."

Sunstreaker glared, and the red warrior by his side had the decency to pout. "That's real mean of ya, Prowl," Sideswipe said sullenly. The mech leaned back in his chair, sliding his arms behind his helm. "Isn't it against the rules to hassle innocent bystanders or something? I'm sure that I've-"

The yellow lamborghini elbowed his twin, cutting him off about the same time that Sideswipe clicked his jaw shut. Immediately the both of them lunged forward in their seats, leaning against the table intently. Clucking disapprovingly, Sideswipe motioned for Prowl to step aside. "Move, Prowl. You're blocking our view!"

The SIC shuttered his optics, unconsciously stepping to the side. The Twins settled in; a grin coming to the red warrior's lip components, his brother's optics glowing a little brighter while a smirk threatened to pull at his scowl. Baffled, Prowl turned to see what the two lamborghinis were so fixated on. He saw Perceptor walk over to the energon dispenser, datapad before his face. Still not tearing his optics from his screen, the scientists filled up a cube, taking a small, refreshing sip before subspacing the rest of the cube for later. Then he turned on his pede, heading for the door once again.

Slowly, the Datsun turned enough so he could glance at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe from the corner of his optic... and saw that their attention was zoned in on Perceptor's swaying hips. Things must have been worse than he had thought if _both_ of the mechs were decided on chasing the microscope.

"Don't even think about it," Prowl warned lowly, doorwings hitching up a little. He was happy when two sets of optics tore away from the scientist's retreating aft; even if it was only to glare up at the SIC. "If I even _feel_ that you're encroaching into Perceptor's space, I'll have the both of you dragged to the brig by your tail pipes and a decacycle's worth of scrubbing out the washracks, loading docks and rec room for you."

The Twins did not reply, and satisfied that his threat had been acknowledged, the Datsun turned around and headed for the door as well.

Sideswipe merely pursed his lip components, leaning back in his chair again, arms behind his helm. "Can't stop us," Sunstreaker murmured from his side, glare focused on Prowl's back struts.

"Indeed not, Sunny," the red warrior replied. "Not this time."

Two unholy smirks came to the lamborghinis faces, and quickly, everyone in the rec room diverted their optics.

Tracks, sitting at a table with Blaster, scowled somewhat behind his energon cube. Well, Perceptor was really slagged this time...


	3. Chapter 3

**C.M.D: This chapter is fairly short in comparison because I have removed the majority of the sexual interactions between Perceptor, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Again, if you'd like to read the uncensored version, please head to my profile for links off-site.**

* * *

><p>The party was in full swing.<p>

After having been on Earth a while now, the Autobots had begun to assimilate certain human holidays and traditions into their own lifestyles. It wasn't so much a state of belief that they held in the religious dates, just more of an excuse for them to let loose a few times a year and relax. Plus, it was kind of hard to say no to a pleading Spike or Carly... They had some peculiar persuasion tactics. In either case, the Autobots enjoyed the holidays like most of Earth's population, with perhaps a little bit more partying, blaring music and unaccountable amounts of high-grade.

Perceptor had decided to attend such a function this time around, and the scientist contently sipped at a cube of mi-grade; swaying slightly in time with the music. He recognized the numerous hearts and pink streamers adorning almost every inch of the walls and dangling from the ceiling of the rec room; connecting them to the human holiday of Saint Valentine. It was such an interesting holiday, the microscope mused, because it had more to do with love and romance than anything else. Though the shape of the "hearts" around the room was picking at his processor unrelentingly... from what he knew of human biology, their hearts were not that two tear-drop shape.

But, Perceptor thought, shaking his helm, that was beside the point. He was here to have fun... though it looked like his fun was beginning to come to a close. A softer, more spark-pulling tune was starting to play; mechs that were jiving away at the hoppy beat before moving off the dance floor, or else finding themselves a partner like all the others.

The scientist sipped from his cube again, attempting to hide his slightly sad expression from prying optics. Love during war was never a wise decision, but things as volatile and intangible as emotions could not be controlled. Many of the mechs on the Ark, those unbonded before coming to Earth, had begun to court one another and there were at least several serious relationships going on. Perceptor looked from those dancing -Cliffjumper being coaxed by an amorous Bumblebee into moving, all the way to Wheeljack and Ratchet slow dancing almost unseen in the corner- and couldn't help but to feel his spark shrink within his chassis.

Somewhere along the way in his function, science became everything to Perceptor. It had always held high importance beforehand, but as he moved into his youngling years, it was the world to the microscope. When he thought to step back for a little while, to find a partner as his spark was crying out for another to connect with, the scientist was devastated to discover that his brilliance had alienated many from himself. No mech would want to have anything to do with a know-it-all, and those that did only carried a professional relationship with the short Autobot. Concluding that he would never have a bondmate, Perceptor retreated back into his work once more. That had been before the war... here, on the Ark, he had been foolishly hopeful that things might change some. He was with more of his peers, after all, and comrades who were connected to a valiant cause. They all cared for each other.

But not enough to like him, the microscope noted sadly.

Swallowing the rest of his mi-grade quickly, Perceptor turned to the table to gather his Valentine's gifts. There were at least several small packages; from his few friends and superior officers. Though they were not declarations of love and desire like Mirage's gift to Hound had been, the sentiment was still appreciated, and the sight of them cheered the scientist some. Quickly, the mech gathered them up in his arms, feeling his equilibrium sway slightly as the sudden rush of mi-grade hit his systems finally. He really couldn't hold anything too strong...

"Woah, there Perceptor," a jovial voice said, grasping the smaller Autobot by the shoulder plating and helping him stand upright. "'Ad a lil' too much o' the mi-grade, my mech?"

"Oh, Jazz," Perceptor shuttered his optics quickly. "N-no, I haven't... well, perhaps I had ingested that last bit a little too fast... But I assure you, I am fine."

Jazz cocked his helm curiously, lip components quirked into a wry smile. "Ya sure, Percy?," the saboteur asked. The scientist had the distinct feeling that he was being studied intently behind that blue visor. "I'd be m're than glad 't walk ya back 't your quart'rs."

"No, no, no," the microscope quickly declined. "That won't be necessary, I shall be alright on my own. Besides, should you not be here, supervising?"

Jazz laughed a little, looking around the rec room. "Well, truth be told, I was 'bout 't go persuade ol' Prowler to c'mon down 'ere for a bit. Blaster can 'andle the tunes in the meantime."

That was right... some of the 'bots had decided to not to attend the party tonight, and others had already retired for the rest of the evening after all the gifts had been passed out. Prowl would still be in his office, working, as the SIC was known to do. Red Alert no doubt was doing the same in the security hub, though it was very likely Inferno was already there with the other mech. Perceptor wondered idly if their security director had finally clued in to the fact that the firetruck was deeply infatuated with him...

"In that case, don't let me be a hindrance to you. I'll be alright on my own, and if anything, I'm sure that Red Alert will make sure to comm for someone should anything befall me otherwise."

"Okay, Perceptor," Jazz finally relented, smiling wryly again at the other's infallible excuse. "I can see I ain't gonna be changing y'or processor any time soon. Just ya be careful. There's a pair o' diabolical Twins out on the loose... a mech can only guess what sor'a mischief they've got planned."

Perceptor looked about the room and noticed that indeed, both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were absent from the party. When had they left, the scientist wondered. They weren't ones to leave a party until it had dwindled down to several mechs. Puzzling over this oddity still, the scientist returned his attention to Jazz. "Understood," he replied to the saboteur. "Have a good night Jazz. Say hi to Prowl for me, won't you?"

"Sure thing, Percy!," Jazz beamed. Nodding his helm, Perceptor finally turned on his pede and headed for the door. He said goodnight to several others as he passed them, but remained silent as he walked by the mechs still slow-dancing. He did not want to disturb them.

It was silent in the hallways; unsurprisingly really, as most were in recharge or still in the rec room at this point. Perceptor was glad all the same for the quiet, because it allowed him to think while dropping his guard some. Like many others, he had heard rumours about the Twins, but always he had been the type of mech who preferred to witness something first hand before placing complete faith in things said by word of mouth. In terms of pranks, yes, he knew that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were notorious for them. The lamborghinis were exceptional fighters as well. The few times that the scientist had been on the battlefield with either of them was evidence enough.

But the rest seemed like mean accusations. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker didn't seem to be berth-hoppers, nor did they appear to exude an aura of constantly charged 'bots. Some would say the two warriors were snippy, thoughtless and cruel -possibly even sparkless- but Perceptor knew that was an outright lie. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were capable of feeling, the same as everyone else, and indeed were quite nice and considerate mechs albeit somewhat temperamental at times. They were even surprisingly gifted, as in the case of Sunstreaker's artistic ability.

If Perceptor knew any better, he'd say that he had a slight crush on his fellow Autobots, but the scientist knew that to be ridiculous. He was on friendly terms with Sideswipe, and a somewhat confusing one with Sunstreaker; yet that was all. Certainly, the two lamborghinis would not want to have anything to do with him relationship-wise.

Sighing softly, Perceptor quickly shoved that train of thought to the back of his processor. Normally he was able to cope with these strong desires to bond with someone, but there were days when the thoughts and needs became too strong and it felt like he might drown in his own despair. The scientist, arriving at his berthroom, palmed the door open; staring dully into the black space.

No, he definitely didn't want to go in there right now. His processor was running too heavily at this moment for him to contain himself to such a small space. Placing his gifts on the floor just inside the doorway, the microscope palmed the door close again; turning on his pede and heading this time for his lab.

At the very least he could get started on some of his projects.

* * *

><p>He knew something was off the moment the door to his labs opened. Nervously, Perceptor looked inside but could see nothing in the pitch-black room. He turned his helm up and down the hallway, wondering if he should just return to his quarters, before he waved the idea off. This was his labs -this was the Ark!- there was nothing dangerous lurking in wait for him. Sighing again at his silly thoughts, the scientist hurried inside the room. Usually sensors would scan his energy signature and the lights would turn on at this point, yet they did not activate, even when the door slid shut behind him. A finger of fear pressed against Perceptor's spark, and he whirled about worriedly.<p>

Where was the door?

A sound in the darkness, and the microscope was smothering the squeak of fright before it could pass his lip components.

The lights flared to life then, and Perceptor was ducking his helm as the sudden brightness hurt his optics, which had just been attempting to adjust to the darkness. There was a small chuckle, and the scientist was looking up in surprise.

"S-sideswipe?!"

"Jeez, Perceptor, you can be such a spazz," the red warrior grinned. He was leaning against the wall by the door; wires from the palm keypad held in his servos, explaining why the lights had not turned on immediately after the short Autobot's entry. Sunstreaker was there was as well, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the door.

"Y-you shouldn't tamper with my lab's controls," Perceptor scolded, still attempting to get over his initial terror and shock. "There are many unstable particles and sensitive materials in here. The slightest variation of temperature or air pressure could result in catastrophic consequences. Not to mention losing months of data and research that I've been working on..."

"Ah, don't worry so much," Sideswipe continued to grin, stepping away from the wall and approaching the scientist. Sunstreaker followed at a slower pace. "We wouldn't do anything to mess with your work, Perceptor. That would just be too mean of us."

The lamborghinis circled the microscope slowly, and Perceptor was vaguely reminded of sharks encircling their prey.

"Besides... we wouldn't want for you to hate us, now would we?"

"W-what are you -oh!" Perceptor backed up quickly as Sideswipe stepped in front of him, the red lamborghinig leaning in closely to the smaller mech. His escape was quickly cut off though when he ran into Sunstreaker's chassis; yellow servos coming to wind about his waist.

"I-i-i-i-i...I-i don't un-understand w-what...," the scientist stuttered, lifting his arms anxiously as Sideswipe quickly closed the distance between them; practically squishing him between the two warriors' bulkier forms.

Sideswipe's grin turned predatory as Perceptor let out a meek whimper, Sunstreaker leaning forward some to nuzzle the other mech's scope. "C'mon Percy," the red lamborghini purred. "You're a smart mech. Surely you can figure this out."

Perceptor gasped as Sunstreaker's nuzzling made little jolts run along his sensory net pleasantly; his brother swooping in to claim that mouth for a heated kiss. A glossa slid along his hungrily, bringing it into the other's mouth as if to swallow his own glossa whole, all the while stealing fleeting tastes along the rest of his mouth and denta. The assault was too much and the scientist could only whimper as oil dribbled down the corner of his mouth.

"T-this is a new look," Sideswipe noted lecherously, pulling back from the kiss.

"The prettiest shade of cerise if I ever did see," Sunstreaker added, pulling Perceptor back tighter against his chassis. The microscope shivered as felt the lamborghini's heated codpiece press along his aft; the servo on his stomach armour trapping him in place.

"I wonder...," the red warrior leered, pressing in closer, a knee sliding in between the scientist's trembling thighs, "How quickly you can be pushed to overload."

It took him nearly a breem to re-orient himself, and by then, Sideswipe was already sinking to his knees before the microscope. "You overloaded pretty quick there, Percy," the lamborghini was saying; smug grin stretching his cheekplates. "And look at this- you made such a mess of yourself."

With a quaking intake, Perceptor fell towards the red lamborghini, finally having been released by Sunstreaker. Sideswipe caught the shorter mech easily, cradling him to his chassis as he leaned backwards, stretching out along the floor. "Mmmmmmm, guess my turn's over for the time being," the red warrior hummed, using a servo to lift Perceptor's chin. "Now Sunny can have some fun."

"N-no, oh pl-please, I-i-i-i," the lamborghini cut the scientist off with a kiss, distracting him long enough so that Sunstreaker to settle on his knee joints behind the two. His servos sliding down and all around Perceptor's aft though could not be so easily ignored, and the timid mech tore away from the kiss to babble further disjointed, gasping sentences.

"C'mon Percy," Sideswipe attempted to conjole, olfactory sensor nuzzling the head of the other's scope.

The yellow warrior let his hands slide teasingly underneath the microscope's codpiece, brushing it tauntingly with his knuckles. "Open up," he husked, and surprisingly, the plating did retract at his command.

Primus, oh Primus... he was so close!

Primus... he was going to fall. Fall into that pit of swelling ecstasy and sparking circuitry, never to rise from the waves of erotic pleasure and processor-wiping bliss.

And then he was.

Perceptor arched suddenly against Sideswipe's chassis, his vocalizer spitting static as he screamed out to the heavens above. Everything after that point was forgotten, lost, behind the haze of white that washed across his vision, overwhelming him completely.

When he came to, the microscope was shocked to find himself still held in Sideswipe's arms.

"Good morning, sleepy-head," Sideswipe greeted jokingly.

"Rise and shine, Percy," Sunstreaker smirked into his audio receptor. "We're not finished with you yet."

"A-ah, Primus, pl-please," the scientist objected, attempting to move. "N-no more..."

"C'mon, Percy. We've been all friendly-like, making you feel real nice and all," Sideswipe cooed, placing soft kisses on the other's scope. He grinned when it brought shivers to the microscope's shoulders.

Sunstreaker wound a servo forward, clasping Perceptor's chin and turning the scientist's helm about some so they could kiss. "Trust us, Perceptor," the yellow lamborghini growled. He kissed the smaller mech again for good measure.

Trust?! This wasn't a matter of trust! This... this was... This was Perceptor being unsure if he could handle another overload so soon after the first couple successions, tied into the mess of thoughts all trying to crow for attention in his processor; practically avoiding the growing issue of his flustered spark and the flurry of connected emotions. But the charge was there, and his core temperature was rising again rapidly, creating a harrowing need to be sated once more.

"P-please, pleeeee-ease," Perceptor moaned, finally coming to a decision.

"W-well," the red lamborghini panted, "S-since you asked so nicely."

Perceptor barely had a moment to process this, before Sunstreaker was lifting him up again; kissing him and caressing the sensitive edges of the tray on his chestplates as he cradled the microscope close. Sideswipe in the meantime grasped the shorter Autobot by the hips.

"O-oh, Primus!," the scientist yelled, gripping Sunstreaker's forearms tightly. How had he never known this? Why hadn't he sought for it sooner?!

Primus, he knew several different explanations for the system reactions that happened during overload; could explain how each bit of circuitry worked and responded to the right stimuli... but this, this was beyond mere scientific definition! There was nothing but the heat, packed in so tightly that it was like a smelter, melting him from the inside... Fluids that arose, attempting to bring core temperatures down, and cooling fans that screeched as they ran past the limit. The shaking, quaking, writhing of frames as they moved in unison, fast approaching that brink where systems would practically red-line, overwhelmed with the sensory feedback -tackled, shoved, thrown, slammed into a momentary free fall of crackling networks and frazzled coding; before everything was wiped, forgotten by a full systems shutdown and restart.

Peceptor could feel his own overload -third, his disjointed processor attempted to supply, third overload- rapidly coming.

The Twins'combined force was enough to send the smaller mech spiralling over the edge. Perceptor keened at the feeling, whimpering as he was flattened against Sideswipe's chassis, unable to move because his limbs could not sustain him at the moment. Against his back, the yellow mech was mumbling something tiredly, kissing the steaming metal along his shoulders before he was crashing to the floor right next to the two other Autobots. The red warrior breathed something as well, before wrapping his arms surely about the scientist's waist and rolling in to his brother. Once again, Perceptor found himself mashed between the two 'bots, but was too exhausted to protest or struggle.

Almost at once, his systems began to shut down again, preparing for a long and well-needed recharge. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe drifted off not too long after.

* * *

><p>Perceptor groaned softly as he struggled to climb out of recharge, his internal chronometer ringing incessantly as it announced the arrival of early morning. Distractedly, the microscope turned off its alarm, attempting to rise. He found quickly he could not move, and his optics onlined in a panic. There was no threat of Decepticon attack, no bonds holding him down or debris caging his body to be found -what there was, was two larger, slumbering warriors resting on either side of him; their arms wrapped securely about the scientist's frame. Immediately, the memory file from last night returned to Perceptor and he cringed in remembrance. His internals were beginning to run hot again, but his spark was a vortex of chaos, and would not be so easily pushed aside this time.<p>

Oh, what had he done?! The scientist could only bemoan silently, attempting to escape from his cage without waking Sideswipe or Sunstreaker. Amazingly, he managed to wiggle out from their grasp in only a few short kliks, and stood looking down on them anxiously.

It was true then, that other part of the rumour. Perceptor's spark withered and withered in his chassis as he gazed down on the twins; coolant rising silently to his optics. With a stiff lip, the microscope quickly shoved the on-coming emotions aside, beating them back once again. There was no point dwelling over it, really. They had been considerate enough to want to interface with him, that in itself should have been a miracle. He shouldn't be selfish and want more...

The best thing for the mech to do now, was move on. There were things to be done, reports to be written, and projects to be finished. But first, he would need a repaint, Perceptor noted distantly, looking down at himself. There were streaks of vibrant red and yellow scratched all over his own rosy finish, and dried lubricant down his legs and pelvic armour. The latter could easily be taken care of by a trip to the washracks... this early in the morning, there would be nobody else around with the exception of Mirage's occasional visits. The harder part though would be the repaint. The scientist was not particularly handy at repairing a 'bot's finish, but he supposed he could handle it well enough on his own when compared to the option of waking up Hoist and having him do the job. He rather not answer any awkward questions...

His direction made, the small Autobot was quick to leave his labs; walking away from the two lamborghinis still recharging on the floor.

* * *

><p>There was something missing. Sideswipe noticed it almost the instant he came online. For a nanoklik he thought to ignore it, content with the fact that he had finally berthed scrumptious little Perceptor, when he noticed that was the thing niggling at the back of his processor. With a lurch, the warrior was getting to his pedes, looking about the lab stupidly. Sunstreaker twitched behind him, before groggily rising as well.<p>

"What?," the yellow mech growled, working the stiffness out of his joint. Recharging on the floor wasn't the best idea -it was bad for his paintjob.

"Perceptor," Sideswipe frowned in reply, turning his helm about for the umpteenth time before focusing on his twin. "He's not here. He should be here, with us. It's only proper."

Sunstreaker seemed to finally notice that indeed the room was vacant of one scientist and the lamborghini's expression became withdrawn further. "We even said..."

"I know, Sunny," the red mech hissed, interrupting his brother. "_Slaggit_, I know. So why would he leave? Well, if he doesn't believe us then we'll just have to show him! First things first though, finding our little geek."

The loud warrior turned and marched for the door before Sunstreaker grabbed his arm and was pulling the other lamborghini back. He ignored the scandalized look Sideswipe sent him, glancing down pointedly at his and his brother's frames. "A trip to the washracks should be first beforehand, and I need another paint and wax."

The red mech huffed, looking at the transfluid and lubricant dried along the top of his pelvic armour, before acquiescing to Sunstreaker's point. "Fine... but afterwards we're going to go find him, ya hear me!"

"Presentation before confrontation," the yellow warrior replied off-handedly.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long after that the Twins were racing into the rec room, having finally narrowed down where Perceptor might be. Sure enough, the scientist was almost tucked away in one of the corners, sitting all by his lonesome with a half-finished energon cube. Not caring that the rec room was filling up pretty quickly, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker pushed their way past everyone else and slid into chairs on other side of the microscope. Perceptor squeaked faintly as he took notice of the warriors flanking his sides, pressing in tightly to him.<p>

"Heya, Percy," Sideswipe purred, slipping his arm about the smaller mech's shoulders.

"You left," Sunstreaker continued, a note of displeasure obvious in his tone. A servo wound itself around Perceptor's waist. "Why?"

"W-we-well, t-that i-i-is," Perceptor stuttered, cheekplates colouring with boiling energon. Sideswipe refrained from cooing at the gorgeous sight, interested in hearing what the scientist's explanation was to that question. If any of the trio had been bothered, they would have noticed that the entire room had fallen into a quiet stupor; all sets of optics trained on the strange sight of the Twins hanging all over a clearly uncomfortable microscope.

Once again, Prowl made his appearance, and seeing this oddity, marched right on over to the trio, doorwings twitching with rage. "Sunstreaker! Sideswipe! What did I tell you?," the SIC growled, raising his voice somewhat. He was insulted when the warriors reluctantly dragged their optics away from Perceptor, only to glare murderously at the Datsun.

"We're not harassing him," Sideswipe hissed. "We happen to like Perceptor a lot, for your information!"

"He's to be our bondmate," Sunstreaker added heatedly, pulling the scientist into his lap and hugging him tightly from behind. His brother shifted to be closer to the both of them accordingly.

"Yeah, exactly!"

The silence of before was nothing compared to now. Perceptor had his servos to his face, hiding all but his large, glazed optics and the burning blush covering his entire visage. The rest of the room was gaping in unadulterated shock; jaws hanging wide open and processors on the brink of fritzing. Prowl actually froze up entirely for a klik before crashing to the floor. Jazz's cry of concern for the SIC was the only thing to break the veil of complete and utter astonishment that gripped every mech there.

"D-do...d-do yo-you really m-mean it?," Perceptor whispered, pulling his hands away from his mouth enough to speak softly. He didn't think he could say it any louder without sounding extremely shrill or else breaking out into a tearful ramble. "I-i-i-i-i m-mean... t-the whole bo-bon-bond... b-bondmate, th-thing?"

"Of course, Percy," Sideswipe grinned, placing his servos on the scientist's trembling legs. The small mech was shaking all over -it was so cute with that blush of his. Made him want to jump the scientist right then and there. "You'll be just ours, right?"

"Obviously," Sunstreaker answered. It was coupled with a nasty glare to the other 'bots in the room. The message was clear: come near Perceptor and you would get it.

Perceptor didn't know how to respond. His mouth gaped like Earth's fish, cheekplates still aflame and spark pulsing irregularly in his chassis. The yellow lamborghini leaned down some, lip components brushing the microscope's audio receptor as he whispered to the smaller mech. "Remember last night, confessing our feelings as we overloaded together."

So that's what they had said!

The scientist was fairly certain he might cry at any moment now. Here he had been getting swamped back up in all his negative feelings again, torn because he believed that the Twins wanted him for nothing more than a simple berth romp, when actually... when they actually wanted him entirely.

_Love you, Perceptor_, came Sideswipe's private comm. _We're never gonna let you go._

Choking, Perceptor lunged forward, wrapping his arms about the red warrior's neck cables, burying his face into the other's chestplates. Sideswipe looked stunned for an astrosecond before he was grinning broadly again, meeting optics with Sunstreaker. The yellow mech smirked, loosening his hold about the scientist's waist so his brother could take hold of the microscope; lifting him up as he quickly rose to his pedes. Perceptor, expectantly, shrieked at the sudden motion, squirming in embarrassment within the warrior's hold.

"P-put me down, pl-please," he squeaked, shuttering his optics tightly.

"Nope," Sideswipe chirped merrily. "Now that we're agreed, I think we should go and consummate our little arrangement. What say you Sunny? Ready for the main course after last night's sampler?"

"Of course."

Leering, the Twins made their way to the rec room doors, ignorant to the shell-shocked gazes fixed on them and their newly appointed lover. Pausing for a moment, Sunstreaker looked down at the still-dazed Prowl being cradled in Jazz's arms.

"We have the rest of the day off then?," the yellow mech said aloud. "Glad to know you're so considerate Prowler. See you in several cycles."

Smirking to himself, Sunstreaker continued on his way, following the sounds of his brother and adorable, little scientist.


End file.
